After two days of qualifying it was time for the main draw,
which started with three qualifiers beatins seeded opponents!

Indian duo Vikram Malhotra and Mahesh Mangaonkar
won through to the quarter-finals with wins over Mohamed Reda
and Ivan Yuen - Mangaonkar spurning match balls in the third and
fourth games before finally claiming the upset.

Jaymie Haycocks was the third qualifier to win,
prevailing 13/11 in the fifth against Abdullah al Tamimi, and
recent British Nationals finalist Joe Lee beat Declan
James in straight games to make it four upsets out of four.

The last four matches saw each of the top four seeds win though,
as Alan Clyne, Tom Richards, Saurav Ghosal
and Nafiizwan Adnan all booked their places in the
quarter-finals against unexpected opponents.

Vikram played at a fast pace
It was a very good first game, extremely high quality squash
to be honest, a game I would have come a long way to watch.
Both hitting the front corners beautifully, both great
length, and both retrieving superbly.

But at the start of the second game, quickly, it became
obvious Takashi was struggling physically, and was going for
too much and finding the tin too often. The third was about
the same unfortunately for the Egyptian….

I knew he would come at me very very hard
from the start, and basically, I had to weather the storm.

Last time we played, it didn’t go too well for me, so I was
up to get one back….

The difference between the two matches is last time, I just
opened the court too much and gave him too many cheap
points. But today, I was very focused, my shots were very
calculated, and I’m happy with my game plan, I didn’t make
much unforced errors today….

Same routine, I studied his game, devised a tactic with
Thierry and felt pretty strong physically. And that’s the
key. When you feel strong physically and you move well on
court, the rest just follows.

If yesterday, I had my ups and downs, today I felt in
control and really felt good out there: I stayed
disciplined, and I played the right shot at the right time,
it was very effective.

Not happy with my game, I was playing fine and feeling fine,
but suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my calf. So you start
focusing on that and you are not concentrating on your match
anymore.

I trained more than for Canary Wharf, and I feel that I
played even worse than at CW! So I feel I need to regroup,
get myself sorted out physically….

How many times have I wrote those words: do not THINK boys!
You are not equipped….

It was so characteristic. The Indian was playing superb
squash, truly playing the Malaysian under tremendous
pressure, playing nice lines and accurate squash. First game
is rather straight forward for Mahesh, 11/6.

But from the 2nd on, the same pattern again and again. The
Indian comfortably up (10/8 in the second), but Ivan
managing to sneak in some great attacking shots as Mahesh
squash would go wuiiiiiiiiiiii out of the window. 12/10 in
the second.

Third, exactly the same, 10/8, match ball, and again, Mahesh
brain that come into action while Ivan finds his best squash
of the match, hitting so hard, then lovely feathery long
drop shot.. 12/10 for the Malaysian.

Annnnnd the same story in the 4th would you believe!!!!
Mahesh, match ball 10/7 annnnnd again, same story, Ivan
digging in, patiently never panicking and it’s 12/10 for
Ivan.

In the decider, Ivan is finally a bit tired bless him, and
he makes a few errors from the middle of the game that give
Mahesh another good lead, and from 6/6, it’s all about
Mahesh, who finally takes the game and match, on his 6th
match ball bless him, and 107 m….

Never in doubt.

Every time I got myself to match ball, I
behaved like a stupid IDIOT, thinking “how I’m going to win
the point” instead of building the rally and creating
opportunities.

Up to match balls, I was in the zone, playing good squash
and following my tactical plan. I got also lucky as he
played some unforced errors at crucial times. But again,
when I was at match ball, the thoughts would come in “can I
do it?”

The harder the matches will get the more pressure I’ll have.
Shawn Moxham told me “the pressure is only what you put on
yourself”. I have to learn to balance it better.

I feel I have the game, the discipline, the fitness, the
squash, but now, I have to stop THINKING about the winning
points, and PLAY the winning points…

He played two unbelievable shots to get to
match ball, then offered me two superb tins to give me the
match…

This is my highest win on PSA, this year, I managed to beat
players I never did beat before, that’s what keep me going.

I played him last week in practice so I knew what to expect,
you’ve got to try and not get too frustrated as you know he
is going to play incredible shots, as you know there are a
few unforced errors that could follow…

When I had the chances today, I was pretty clinical…

I’m sorry for Stacey and the Team here. I play here for the
Surrey Cup, I’m used to the courts, and I won’t be able to
play tomorrow for the Surrey Cup decider against Colets.
Sorry guys.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow, and a big thank you to Rob
Owen and all the boys at ROA…

[3] Tom Richards (Eng) 3-0 Mazen Gamal (Egy)
11/6, 11/7, 11/6 (36m)

Not one for the fainted hearted!

Jzzz those two love to hit, run, retrieve, find their
targets at the front, and visiting the courts in all
directions!!!!

Tom must be over the moon to be able to move that well on
the court. He was put under a lot of pressure by the Wadi
Degla coach who told us in Canary Wharf that he was happy to
do a few matches to get his full fitness back. Well, that
was one of lungs openers I’m sure he’ll be happy to have
played!

A very pleasant match indeed, both playing in a good spirit,
but today, Tom being more assertive and fitter really, but a
very entertaining match indeed.

If it was coming down to fitness today, I
think I was a bit stronger. I love playing at a fast pace,
so when players try and outpace me, it’s normally not easy
for them.

I hadn’t seen much of him, only 2 m on youtube, so not much
to go on. So I focused more on what I was supposed to do, to
make it tough, and not giving him anything easy. And I think
except in the middle of the second, I managed to do that
rather well.

I had a little loss of focus in the 2nd, I was up 2/0 and
found myself down 6/2! Due to lack of mental focus, maybe a
bit of match fitness too. This match had the potential to
become a bit of a large scrappy round around match, but it’s
not easy to play perfect squash in those bouncy conditions.

I take it match by match of course, but you know I have a
few ambitions for this event, and that was a good first
round performance, and a good run as well!!!

Joe Lee (Eng) 3-1 [5] Declan James (Eng)
15/17, 11/6, 11/4, 11/7

A very tough first game

I arrived at 10/7 game ball for Declan in the opener. About
15m later, we were still fighting hard for the win of that
game!!! Declan had 3 game ball to start with, Joe forced a
tie-break, then had two game balls of his own, and Dec
again, with 4 more, finally clinching it 17/15!

But from that point on, it was like Joe found his groove,
and although the rallies were disputed and fast, Declan
found himself at the wrong end of them.

A clean and intense encounter between those two very fair
players even if there were a few calls during the match
today…

I didn’t feel comfortable AT ALL to start
with. Only got comfortable as the match went on…

I think a long first game didn’t do me any harm, it was long
and physical, but then I realise now I found my game in the
next three games, so it helped me in a way.

Declan and I train during the summer with England Squash
Squads, and I go sometimes up to Manchester and do a fair
bit of training with him.

I think our game sort of cancel each other out, as we are
denying each other what we want to do, and sometimes it can
get a bit scrappy…

It was a hard first game, I was playing better than I did
last week I thought but I just got a bit tired in the end,
we had a pretty tough schedule recently too!

Olli has been playing very well indeed, he
had that great win in Oregon, so I knew it was going to be
an even tougher match that it would normally be as he is
playing that well at the moment. So it’s good I was able to
play the way I did, and get through in 3 especially with the
way he is playing.

I’ve been training hard since the wedding, three and a half
weeks. First in Chennai with the two boys that reached the
BJO final this year, and Hari. And also one week in
Pontefract, working hard with Malcolm. Also having a few
games with James.

I feel like one with the court, the racquet, the ball…. I
enjoy the hard training, and I feel mentally and physically
really good.

Nothing happens overnight, it’s all about hard training,
trying to create, to enjoy as much as I can…

I haven’t recovered fully from the other matches really.
It’s a shame because I think I was playing ok recently and I
feel quite good with the racquet.

I just hope I’ll be recovered for my next event, the 25k in
Montreal….

[4] Alan Clyne (Sco) 3-0 [wc] Robert Downer (Eng)
11/2, 11/7, 11/4

I started off really well, kept my
discipline – not just going up and down the wall, but
positive game plan, taking it early.

But in the second, he played better, taking me in, in
particular on the forehand, and I got a bit passive. But I
think I played better in the third…

I was concentrated on the areas I want to play the ball, but
I completely forgot about the quality of the targets really:
good plan, but not playing very well!

It was a learning curve that I learned during the match. I
think I played enough to put into it in the second, I was
playing better and better as the rallies went along, as I
was figuring the rallies out, enjoying it.
I knew it was going to be tough, with his retrieving
abilities, but he is such a great player to play against for
somebody like me. He is such a fair player, you can see the
difference of level and you know what you have to work on.

Chuffed to have been awarded the wild card again, thanks to
Stacey and the Team. And as I have now moved to the area
last week, the WTC is now officially my home club, and it
was great to have the support of the crowd…

A very high quality squash that last match was. Wan had to
play his best squash to shake off the 20 years old player
that displayed some great squash today.

In my opinion, fitness made the difference today. Picture in
your brain a puppy: runs runs runs runs for hours on end.
Then suddenly falls on the floor and sleeps for a few
seconds. And runs runs runs again! Well, that’s my little
Youssef for you.

Of course I’m caricaturing, and of course, it was not as
simple as that. But there is nothing, absolutely nothing
wrong with Youssef squash. He’s got the shots, the brain,
the great movement, and the racquet flying high for Egypt…
Just a few energy drops at crucial times.

Wan showed today how solid he has become: a few months ago,
he would have tinned the ball about 6 or 7 times per game as
Youssef would have put him under pressure. Today, 2 errors
per game. And that makes him lethal, as his shots are so
close to the tin, and his retrieving as sharp as it gets.

I think that Wan/Vikram could be one of the highlights of
the quarters…

I’m happy with not making too many errors,
as it’s my new mode of squash you know. I concentrate on
making the rallies, each and single one, very hard, and not
giving away any cheap points or going for silly shots.

The bouncy court sort of make our level similar, but the
difference I feel tonight was the mental aspect: I feel I
was a bit stronger mentally than he was, and I was quite
focused the whole time.

He played very good squash, and the great thing about him,
he doesn’t care who he is playing against, he is just going
for those shots…

I never saw Vikram play, but he had some good results this
week, beating Reda, so he must be playing very well. I’m
looking forward to the match, I’m sure it will be a good
one.